This is the place for you to post fanfiction for all of the unconventional, out of the norm in the show's realm couples. In other words, any stories focusing on couples not listed under conventional couples, and anything featuring slash pairings.

Ok, I'm back with chapter 9. I'm going to try to post all the parts I have ready, so make sure you aren't missing a chapter or two.

Enjoy

Part 9~ ~ ~ ~ ~Girls’ Locker room

“Liz, babe, will you put my ribbons in for me. I can’t get them straight,” Maria asked fiddling with her hair in the mirror.

“Sure,” Liz answered cheerfully. She hopped up from her seat on the bench and began retying the red and yellow ribbons into Maria’s hair.

Maria noticed Liz was humming something, so looked up at her in the mirror. A contented little smile had settled on Liz’s lips and she seemed much happier than she’d been earlier. ‘Obviously that rose did a lot to change Liz’s mood. Good boy, Max.’

“Liz, what’s that you’re humming?” she asked curiously.

“It’s umm… I Feel The Earth Move. It’s stuck in my head.” Liz answered distractedly. “There, all done.” Liz stepped away and went back to getting herself ready for the game, all the while humming and acting unusually cheerful.

As Maria watched her friend bounce around happily, she realized… that ‘Liz wasn’t telling her something!’ Maria’s eyes narrowed as she watched her friend closely. ‘Well we’ll just have to get to the bottom of this, won’t we?’

“Liz, you never told me what your card said, or what happened with Max,” she reminded her friend. Maria saw Liz freeze for a moment before her reaction was quickly masked in an air of nonchalance.

“Oh yeah. Max just apologized,” Liz hedged.

She had been hoping that Maria would forget about it for a little while longer. She knew Maria would find out sooner or later, but right now Liz didn’t want to shatter her happy little bubble just yet. As long as she didn’t think too hard about what happened between her and Max she could just enjoy it. No analyzing, no trying to figure out if they were together or not, no counting off reasons why it shouldn’t have happened, just enjoying the memory of Max holding her close as he kissed her breathless. She didn’t want to go back to being afraid of getting hurt.

“Oh. So, you two are friendly again?” Maria asked knowing there had to be more to it than that.

“Yeah. Yeah, we are.” Liz smiled thinking about how friendly she’d been with Max.

Maria noticed the secret smile and her pink cheeks, and decided it was time to be more direct with her interrogation. She crossed her arms and stared at her friend sizing her up.

“Ok, Spill it, woman. I know something big happened and you’re holding out on Mammi Ria. That’s a no no,” she said, tapping her foot and playfully glaring at her friend.

Liz laughed. “Maria, come on. You know I wouldn’t hold out on you,” she teased, not at all trying to hide the fact that she wasn’t planning on spilling a thing. She picked up her pom poms and started walking toward the locker room door with a smug smile on her face.

“Oh no you don’t! You’re not getting away that easy. I want details, woman! Details!” Maria grabbed her own pom poms and took off after her.

~~~

“Max, aren’t you supposed to be slapping yourself and eating raw eggs, or something,” Michael asked, as he walked up and slapped Max on the back.

“Michael, what are you doing here?” Max asked, startled.

“Me?! Max, you have a game in a few minutes. What are you doing here?”

Max scratched his ear trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t make him sound like a totally love-sick puppy. If he told Michael the truth, that he was standing here in front of the girls’ locker room, right before the biggest game of the year, trying to think of the best way to ask Liz Parker to give him a kiss for luck, Michael would laugh in his face, and he’d never live it down. Luckily for him just then, both Liz and Maria walked through the locker room doors and saved him the embarrassment.

“Liiiz, come on. Tell me,” Maria pouted as she and Liz made their way out to the field. Liz wasn’t being very cooperative at the moment and it was killing her to know that her best friend had a juicy secret that she was keeping.

“Maria, I told you, Max just apologized. We talked and now things are better,” she said, as she pushed her way through the doors. Liz wasn’t lying, she was just withholding some particularly pertinent information.

“Elizabeth Parker, you were humming I Feel The Earth Move, smiling at the mention of making up with Max, and I know something beside a pretty flower put that blush on your - Oww!”

Maria stopped short and grabbed the injured rib that Liz’s elbow had just tried to dig a hole through. She was about to whop Liz back with her pom pom when she noticed Max and Michael standing a few feet away watching them. Michael had his hand covering his mouth and looked as if he was trying not to laugh. Max’s eyes were darting around, looking everywhere but at her, and… was he blushing? ‘Ok, that’s it! Somebody better start talking soon or else!’

Liz tried to fight the urge to run back into the locker room, and never come out again. Just as she and Maria had come out of the locker room, Liz had seen Max and Michael standing outside the doors, but she hadn’t realized until too late that the guys could hear the conversation they were having. From the look on Max’s face, he’d heard everything.

“Max, what are you doing here?” It was the only thing she could think of besides running back into the locker room to die of shame.

“I wanted to talk to you about something before the game started,” Max said, trying to calm his nervousness. Now that Liz knew how he felt about her, he was worried how she would act around him.

Liz took a deep breath trying to get over her embarrassment. “Oh, ok. What’s up?” she asked, walking closer to find out what was so important that he interrupted his pre-game routine to talk to her.

Max looked around nervously at Michael and Maria, who were watching him and Liz with curious interest, then back at Liz who was now looking at him with concern.

“Um…” he started, but paused, and looked at Michael and Maria as if to say, ‘Do you mind?’ They both just looked at him, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. When they didn’t get the hint, Max sighed in exasperation.

“Excuse us for just a second,” he said, putting his hand on Liz’s back, steering her to a more private spot a few feet away.

Maria looked at Michael with a curious frown. “Michael, what’s going on with Max?” she asked, leaning against him as they both watched their friends talk quietly a few feet away. Michael automatically wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her closer as they watched the interaction between their friends.

“I don’t know, babe,” Michael fibbed.

He really didn’t know exactly why Max was out here instead of in the locker room getting his pep talk, or whatever it was that football players did before a game, but he figured it had something to do with what Zan told him yesterday.

“Hmm…” Maria’s curiosity was peaked.

She noticed how shy both Max and Liz were acting around each other all of a sudden, and how they kept stealing glances over at her and Michael every now and then. She smiled as she came to a decision. She nudged Michael, and smiled up at him over her shoulder. “Wouldn’t they make a cute couple?”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Maria, no.”

“Aww, come on, babe. You know they’re perfect for each other. Just look at them,” she whined and pouted. She turned in his arms and grinned up at him. “Pleeease,” she begged.

“Maria, you promised, no more match making,” he scolded. “Remember what happened last time, when you tried hooking Liz up with Kyle?”

“Yeah, I remember,” she said, frowning in disgust. “The idiot took her to a keg party and he ended up barfing on Liz’s brand new suede boots.” She rolled her eyes in disgust as she remembered that disastrous pairing.

“And,” Michael prompted.

“And, I promised I would never try to hook Liz up with anyone ever again,” she begrudged him. “But babe, you know she’d thank me in the end when they end up as happy as we are,” she said, peppering his neck with little kisses, trying to persuade him over to her way of thinking. “Don’t you think they would be perfect together?”

“Mmm…” was all that came to mind for a moment before her question registered. “Um, actually, babe, I kind of figured she’d hook up with Zan,” he finally got out before he took over and began kissing a path from her chin to that sensitive little spot just behind her left ear.

“Ohh, that’s nice,” she moaned and slid her arms around his neck. “Zan’s not her type. Max is just right for her.” She managed to say while running her fingers through his hair and holding his head close.

“I think they’re both her type,” he mumbled, slipping his fingers under the edge of her little top and concentrating on the other side of her neck.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she whispered, before she devoured his lips with her own.

~~~

Max led Liz a little away from Michael and Maria, hoping to find a little privacy.

“Liz, I uh… I…” Max cleared his throat and swallowed trying to make his nervousness go away. Liz put her hand on Max’s arm to calm him.

“It’s ok, Max. Just tell me.” She smiled at him encouragingly and waited.

Max let out a breath and shook his head at himself. He took Liz’s hand and smiled, his face flushed.

“Liz, it’s no big deal or anything. I was just hoping you’d… you know, give me a kiss for good luck,” Max said, turning red from the top of his ears down.

Liz smiled from ear to ear. “Oh, Max. Is that all?”

He was just so adorable trying to hide his flushed cheeks. Liz looked over her shoulder at Maria and Michael before she answered.

“Sure.” Her own cheeks had returned to a full blush as well.

Max smiled, then stepped closer. He started leaning down to kiss her when she stopped him.

“Max, what about them?” They both looked over at Michael and Maria, who were cuddled up watching them talk. Max chuckled.

“Knowing them, pretty soon they’ll distract themselves and will have forgotten all about us,” he whispered conspiratorially.

Liz laughed and agreed. She peeked over her shoulder to see what was happening with them, and sure enough Maria had started kissing on Michael’s neck. He had his eyes closed, the outside world forgotten.

“See, what’d I tell ya?” Max chuckled.

“I know. Aren’t they terrible?” Liz shook her head and looked back up at Max. He smiled down at her for a moment, then his head tilted to one side as he looked at her curiously.

“What,” she asked, knowing something was coming.

“So, you were humming again?” He teased.

Liz’s mouth dropped open as she gasped in embarrassment. “Maaax!” She punched his arm, and ducked her head as she felt her cheeks burn.

“Aww, I like your humming. You get so into it. It’s cute,” he said, grabbing her hand, and pulling her closer.

“You’re just saying that cause you want a kiss,” she said, coyly, letting him draw her near.

“Yeah, but it’s true,” he teased, then swallowed when he saw Liz moisten her lips and look up at him through her dark lashes, waiting. He held his breath in anticipation, and leaned in to kiss her.

He watched Liz’s eyes fall closed as their lips brushed in a sweet caress. He lightly nibbled her bottom lip for a moment before covering her mouth with his. Liz sighed and her hand slid up to cup his cheek, as she held him close.

This is what he’d dreamed of for them. Just being together, sharing how they felt without fear. In this moment, Max was totally content. He pulled away with a smile, and looked into her eyes.

“I think I am going to make this part of my regular pre-game warm up,” he said. Liz smiled, blushing under his heated gaze.

“Ahem!” At the sound of someone clearing their throat right next to them, Max and Liz jumped apart, surprised to see Pam Troy standing there glaring. “Max, I need to talk to you,” she said, giving Liz an evil sneer.

“Excuse me!” Max snatched his arm away from Pam, and looked at her like she was crazy. “Pam, Liz and I are talking. Whatever it is you want will just have to wait.” He turned back to Liz and tried to apologize. “Liz, I’m really sorry.”

Liz didn’t know whether to be pissed off because Pam was showing her claws, or ecstatic because Max wasn’t falling for her obvious attempt to regain his attention. She looked at Pam standing there gawking at him, and wondered why Max would have ever gone out with someone like her. The girl wore too much makeup, every piece of clothing she owned was a size too small, and she was the biggest bitch Liz had ever met. She felt like snatching that bleached blond ponytail, and smacking her.

‘Whoa, where’d that come from,’ Liz thought. Lonnie and Maria must have started rubbing off on her.

Pam was speechless. No way was Max blowing her off for Liz Parker. “Max! You are not choosing her, over me?!” Pam looked as if it was just a totally absurd idea.

Liz had enough of this. It was time to set Ms. Boy Toy straight. But she wanted Max to go before he got in trouble with his coach.

“Max, you better get back to the team before they start to wonder where you are,” she said, ignoring Pam for the moment. Max shook his head brushing off her concern.

“Don’t worry about me, Liz. I’ll be fine.” There was no way Max was going to stand by and let Pam try to bully Liz.

“No, Max, really. This game is important to you.” She said, trying to assure him that she’d be fine. “I’ll see you after the game.”

“Are you sure, Liz?” He asked worried.

“Yeah, I’ll see you later.” Her attention finally turning back to Pam, who seemed determined to intrude on their conversation.

Max looked unsurely between Pam and Liz who were glaring at each other. “Liz, I don’t -” He was interrupted by the sound of a loud moan coming from behind them.

They all turned to see Michael and Maria locked in a very heated make out session. Michael had Maria’s leg hooked over his hip, and had her pinned to the wall. He was sucking on her neck and his hand had disappeared under her top.

“Whoa…” Liz shook her head and turned back to Max.

“Max, really, go on. I’ve gotta go cool those two off anyway.” She turned to head over to them, but glanced at Pam for a moment, then turned back to Max.

“Good Luck,” she said, blowing him a kiss. “Make a touchdown for me,” she said, before heading back toward the two lovers. As she walked away, she looked at Pam and grinned. Max chuckled when he saw this. He stood admiring her as she walked away for a moment, then headed for his locker room.

Pam couldn’t believe that Max had embarrassed her like that, and over Liz Parker.

“How could you do that to me,” she called out to him. Max rolled his eyes and ignored her. “Max, don’t walk away from me.” Pam threatened.

“Pam, we broke up, remember,” He said, shaking his head as he walked away.

~~~

Liz rolled her eyes. Michael and Maria hadn’t even noticed that they were drawing people’s attention. Courtney and Jessie stood outside the locker room door laughing and pointing at their little display. ‘I should have known they’d be around. Where ever Pam goes her little pack is sure to follow.’

She walked past them on her way to Michael and Maria and tried to get rid of the little perverts. “Peep much? You know voyeurism is like a felony?” They both made faces at her and rolled their eyes. She walked up to Michael and Maria and clapped her hands loudly in their ears. “Hel-lo, public place. You guys are corrupting my virgin mind here. Knock it off.” she teased.

“Wha-?” Michael mumbled as he came out of his Maria induced haze. He looked up and finally noticed Liz was standing next to them looking at him expectantly. She gave him a little wave. “Hi. Forgot where you were didn’t ya?”

Maria pulled her leg from around Michael’s hip and peeked over his shoulder. “Sorry, Liz. We got a little carried away.” She blushed a little and began straightening her clothes. “Excuse me for a minute.”

Liz stood in front of her trying to block everyone’s view. She knew she’d been unsuccessful when Courtney and Jessie started whistling and making catcalls. Liz sighed irritably. “Here, let me help fix your hair.”

Michael felt bad and kind of guilty just standing there while Maria had to put herself back together because of his urges. After Liz finished straightening Maria’s ponytail, Michael pulled Maria back against his chest for a tender hug. “Sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to muss you up so much.”

“Hey, big guy, you know I was getting just as wild as you were,” she said, slipping her arms back around his neck and giving him a tender kiss.

“Hey you two, don’t start that again or we’ll never get out of here,” Liz teased them.

All of a sudden they all jumped as a grating voice bellowed out, “Let’s go!”

They turned to see who was making all the fuss and saw Pam standing at the end of the walkway looking rather upset. Tapping her foot and hands on hips, she waited impatiently as Courtney and Jessie followed.

“G*d, she’s annoying,” Michael said, frowning.

Liz chuckled. “Looks like she finally came back from the land of denial. I hope reality isn’t too harsh for her.”

“Uh oh, sounds like you two had a run in,” Maria said, escaping Michael’s arms. “What happened?”

Liz didn’t really want to go into the details of the situation at the moment. She sighed and waved it off. “It’s a long story, Ria. I’ll tell you later.” Maria looked surprised but just nodded.

Liz looked back at Pam for a minute thinking about their confrontation. Pam was standing there glaring at her. When she saw Liz look in her direction, they locked eyes and Pam seemed to be challenging her. Liz rolled her eyes, disgusted with her. “G*d I hate her.”

When Jessie and Courtney finally reached her, Pam turned and stormed away without giving them a second glance. As Courtney was walking away she called out to Michael, “Hey, Mikey G. I didn’t know you were so talented. I might have to take you out for a test drive myself soon.” She winked at him and blew him a kiss before taking off to catch up to her girls.

Maria’s eyes narrowed to two angry slits. “I know she did not just proposition my boyfriend right in front of my face,” she said, incredulously.

“Uh oh,” Liz said, shaking her head. She looked at Michael pleading for help. He just shrugged and raised his hands in defeat. ‘Men,’ she thought in disgust. “Maria, now calm down. Don’t go crazy on me.”

“Oh, don’t worry Liz, I got this covered,” Maria said, calmly, but for some reason that worried Liz more than if she had screamed and yelled.

“Aww, man! Come on ref! Are you blind?!” Michael shouted, again spilling his bag of popcorn over everyone in front of him as he tossed his arms up in frustration.

“Mikey, would you cut it out!” Lonnie’s exasperated voice rose up. It was almost half time and the score was Comets 6 - Novas 9. Every time something went against the Comets, Michael went ballistic, and she ended up with popcorn in her hair. “G*d, you don’t see Zan and Alex going all crazy over this stupid game.”

Michael sat down still agitated over the 5-yard penalty the Comets had just gotten because the ref said one of the Comets jumped off sides. How were they ever going to catch up if they kept getting stupid penalties every other down. He shook his head, and looked around at the two guys mentioned, and noticing Lonnie was right.

Alex wasn’t really watching the game, he and Lonnie were having a conversation about… who knew what, and Zan was looking off toward the wrong end of the field. Michael followed Zan’s gaze, and saw the cheerleaders. He rolled his eyes. ‘Of course.’ He reached into his bag to get a handful of popcorn, and discovered it was empty.

“Damn, didn’t I just have a full bag of popcorn a few minutes ago?” Michael asked to no one in particular.

“Hellooo!” Lonnie couldn’t believe how thick the boy was when he was watching sports. “That was before you threw it all over everybody, ya butt head,” she said, throwing a handful at him from the pile that had gathered at her feet.

The ref blew the whistle signaling the end of the first half.

“Perfect timing. I’m gonna get some more popcorn. You wanna come,” he asked, nudging Zan as he stood.

“Naw, man. I’m cool,” Zan mumbled.

“Hey Alex, would you get me a cherry coke,” Lonnie asked.

“Sure. Be right back.” He and Michael took off down the bleachers, heading for the concession stand. Zan watched as Lonnie’s eyes followed Alex until he disappeared from sight. He waited until she looked at him, and arched an eyebrow.

“Sup with dat?” He asked giving her a knowing smile.

“What are you talkin bout?” Lonnie smacked her lips, and turned her attention elsewhere.

Zan knew he had her. “You and drummer boy lookin real cozy. Somebody might think you two was on a date, or somethin.” He waited to see how she’d react to his bait.

She looked at him out of the corner of her narrowed eyes. “And if we were?” Lonnie knew he was messing with her, but wasn’t in the mood to play.

Zan didn’t answer for a moment as he thought about his baby sister dating Alex Whitman. He nodded to himself as he answered, “Then I’d say, I approve.”

Lonnie was surprised, not that she needed anyone’s approval to hook up with a guy, but it was nice to know that Zan liked him.

“Really?” She smiled at her big brother. “Thanks.”

Zan put his arm around Lonnie’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “Hey, you know I’m lookin out for ya.” Lonnie laid her head on his shoulder feeling content and safe.

“Yeah, I know ya are.”

She rested there for a moment remembering how close she and Zan had been when they lived in New York. She missed that, but that was about all she missed about their time in New York. She sighed, and looked up at Zan, noticing that he was looking over her head.

She looked around to see what had his attention, but all she saw was the cheerleaders getting ready to do their halftime routine. She frowned and sat up, wondering why he was so interested in the halftime show. He’d never paid any attention before, and as far as she knew, he wasn’t into perky.

She was about to bust him out about it, when she noticed he was kinda smiling. Not his usual arrogant smirk, but a real smile. Almost… sweet? And his eyes… He looked as if he was happy. She looked back at the cheerleaders trying to figure out what was making him this way, and she realized, he was watching Liz.

She took in her brother’s expression as he watched her friend, and thought about all the stuff that had been going on between her brothers and Liz lately. She didn’t really believe that either of them wanted to just play with her and move on to their next conquest, at least, she hoped neither one would do something like that. There had to be more going on with them than she knew about.

Looking at Zan now, she wondered if he really cared about Liz, and maybe he wanted more with her friend they all realized. Maybe he really wanted to be with her. That thought made Lonnie smile. Zan and Liz… Yeah, she could see that.

She had to wonder when all this had happened though, and if he was so into Liz, why he hadn’t tried to hook up with her before. Zan wasn’t one to waste time when it came to showing his interest in a girl he was in to, and he’d known Liz for like three years. It was obvious he wanted to get with her, so what was stopping him?

“Zan, just tell her how you feel.”

“What?” Lonnie’s unexpected statement shocked him out of his drifting thoughts.

“Zan, look at you. It’s written all over your face that ya like her. You look all moony and shit. It’s so corny,” she teased.

‘What the hell?’ Zan narrowed his eyes in anger.

He did not moon over nobody. He was trying to keep cool and not to let her taunting get to him, but looking at Lonnie laughing at him was pissin him off. He shook his head and stood up. “Yo, I’m out.” He started jogging down the bleachers not looking back.

“Hey, where you goin?!” she asked, shocked that her little teasing had affected him so much.

“Mind ya fuckin business,” he grumbled. Lonnie smacked her lips, and sighed at her stupid ass brother. Well at least now she knew he really liked Liz. Now all she had to do was figure out a way to get them together.

~~~

Zan leaned on the small fence that separated the bleachers from the track, and watched as the cheerleaders did their half time routine. What Lonnie said bugged him. He did not “moon” over nobody. He rubbed at his lip with his thumb, agitated, and tried not to get mad all over again.

He’d gotten all caught up in a girl before and he learned to regret that mistake. Naw, getting all twisted up over a female wasn’t his style. Lonnie didn’t know what the hell she was talking about.

He watched as the cheerleaders moved in sync to the music playing over the loud speakers. The crowd was clapping along with the heavy techno beat and cheering them on. He had to admit they looked good.

The rhythm of the music sped up and the girls started building their pyramid for the finale. All of a sudden one of the girls on top started wobbling and losing her balance. Zan saw that Maria was helping to hold the girl’s leg. She had a grimace on her face trying to steady her… or was that a smile? The girl’s arms flew about as she totally lost her balance and fell flat on her ass.

‘Dayum!’ He grimaced in empathy for the girl’s pain.

He watched as Maria’s hand flew to her mouth in pretend shock. She looked as if she was saying oops, but didn’t move to help the girl up. Zan had to laugh. That girl must have really pissed Maria off, to get ‘The Wrath’.

The blond recovered and tried to act as if nothing had happened, but he could see the seething death glares she was sending Maria, and as they were moving off the field the girl said something to her. It must have been real, because Liz grabbed Maria’s arm, and turned her around before Maria could step up.

As Liz walked her away, he could see Maria fussing unhappily. Zan called out to the girls before they disappeared into the crowd.

“Liz! Re-Re!” He could see that Maria was still kind of hot over whatever the girl said by the malevolence he her eyes as she looked back over her shoulder. He was glad she couldn't shoot death-rays from her eyes or blond girl would be dead right now. He had a feeling this little spat wasn’t over with yet.

Liz cursed, and closed her eyes for a moment. 'Darn It! First Maria goes crazy, and now Zan shows up with his butterflies. You’d think that after what happened with Max, I’d be over this.'

“Hey Zan,” Maria called out, her angry glare turning into a bright smile, as she and Liz made their way over to him.

“Hey,” Liz greeted him. She couldn’t really look Zan in the eye, feeling a little guilty, and thinking about Max. She fidgeted, holding onto the fence, while he and Maria talked.

“Hey, what happened? I saw you lookin all evil when that girl fell.” Zan narrowed his eyes at Maria playfully. “You dropped her, didn’t you?”

He shook his head, and chuckled as that evil smile appeared on her face again.

“What?” Maria batted her eyes, and smiled impishly, but after seeing Zan’s disbelieving expression, finally dropped all pretense of innocence.

“She had it coming, ok?! That bitch came on to Michael right in front of me, like I wasn’t even there!” she explained heatedly. “She’s lucky I didn’t kick her ass instead of just dropping her on it.”

Zan looked up into the bleachers to see if Michael and Alex had made it back from the concession stand yet. All he saw was Lonnie sitting where he’d left her, watching them talk. “He must still be at the snack stand.”

“Chica, I’m gonna go find him real quick. I have to tell him what I did to that little skank.”

Liz rolled her eyes at her friend’s eager smile.

“Just don’t miss the kickoff,” she called out as Maria walk away.

Liz could feel Zan looking at her, so she smiled awkwardly at him before she bit her lip, and looked down at her toe, that started kicking the fence.

Zan frowned as he watched Liz. He wondered why all of a sudden, she wouldn’t look at him. From her nervous behavior, he could tell that something was up.

“You guys looked good out there. I knew you’d get that statue thingy down.”

Liz frowned, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

“Statue thingy?” She laughed, wrinkling her nose at him.

“Yeah, you know, that thing you do when you’re up there with your leg over your head.” He said it like it was obvious.

Liz’s mouth fell open and she tried hard not to bust out laughing when she realized what he meant. He was telling her that he’d noticed she’d had trouble with that stunt during practice, and he was glad she got it right tonight.

“Oh! You mean the Liberty.” She corrected him grinning. Zan grinned in return, glad he’d gotten her smiling again.

“Yeah, dat,” he answered eyes twinkling.

“Thanks,” she nodded, happy he'd noticed. “I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to hold it, but we got it right.” She gave him an appreciative smile and felt some of her tension starting to melt away.

She and Zan were friends, there wasn’t anything wrong with talking to him, and besides, she and Max weren’t officially together, so why was she feeling so guilty? If she could just get control of these butterflies, everything would be fine.

“So, after the game, I’ll be waitin for ya outside the gym. Are you gonna take forever to get changed, like usual?” he teased.

Liz felt a cold knot form in her stomach. The smile dropped from her face, and she looked down at her shoes again.

“Um, Zan…”

Zan noticed the change in Liz before she even said a word. He could tell what was coming.

She glanced up at him for a moment wishing she didn’t have to tell him about her and Max, but everything that happened she figured she and Max would go to the party together. But now that she was actually standing here in front of Zan… she didn’t want to tell him.

He interrupted not letting her finish that thought, hoping to stop her from saying something that would totally ruin everything they’d planned, and slowly kill him, all in one fell swoop.

“Hey, you not breaking our date, are you? I thought you said we was cool.” He covered her fingers through the links in the fence with his own, and willed her to look at him.

Her eyes flew to his in surprise. His touch sent a thrill through her. She hadn’t been expecting it. What she saw in his eyes was unexpected as well. His usually beautiful eyes were darkened by an anxious frown.

“We are, Zan. It’s not that,” she tried to reassure him. “It’s just…”

‘Why is this so hard?’ His unfaltering gaze caused the fluttering in her stomach to increase, and she felt her resolve to be honest with him melting away with the warm flush that spread over her.

“Um…” She swallowed around the lump that had formed in her throat.

She had to tell him, but she was afraid they’d lose everything they had. He was her best friend. Would they still have their cigar poker matches, and their marathon video game tournaments? Would he still make his unexpected visits to the Crashdown to mooch fries from her when she was studying, and try to make her laugh at his silly jokes? If she told him there would definitely be no more breathless moments when she’d look up, and see him smile just for her. She had to tell him, but she was afraid she’d lose him.

Zan could see the emotions playing across her face as she struggled to tell him what she was thinking.

“You never really forgave me, did you? That’s why you breakin our date.” He thought maybe she was still pissed at him for what he did last night.

“Liz, I didn’t mean for that to happen. Things just got out of hand. At first, I was just playin around and stuff, but then… when I looked down at you… right at that moment, I just wanted to kiss you. I mean, you looked so perfect. It just… happened.”

He hoped she would trust him again, and they could still be close. It had never been his intention to force her to do anything. He’d never forgive himself for reminding her of what happened in the past with that asshole Sean. He’d understand if she never wanted to see him again, let alone go to a party with him.

Liz was taken aback by how serious Zan had become. She knew it a misunderstanding now and didn’t like seeing him beat himself up because she'd overreacted. He’d said almost the exact same thing that Max said to her last night. Was it just an incredible coincidence, or could Max have told Zan what he’d said?

Would Zan try to do something so manipulative to her? She tried to judge if he was lying, but saw only sincerity in his face. If Zan was being honest, then… That thought made her happier than she thought it would, but it also made her more confused than she’d ever been about him and Max.

The other thing he’d just said finally broke through the fog of guilt and self-pity filling her thoughts. ‘Date?!’ Zan had mentioned them having a date tonight twice now, and it finally registered.

“Zan, I said we were good, and we are. I promise.” She looked up at him, trying to make him understand she wasn’t mad. “But, you said, 'Our date'. We don’t have a date.” She tried to focus on one situation at a time, but things were coming at her so fast, she was having a hard time keeping everything straight.

Zan looked at her in confusion for a moment. “I asked you if you’d still go with me to the party tonight, and you said you would. You don’t remember?”

He knew they didn’t have an official date tonight, but he was glad for the distraction from whatever had her pulling away from him like this. Hopefully getting her to think about going out with him would take her mind off it.

Liz thought back to their conversation during drama class, and realized that he was right. She'd said she would still go with him tonight, she just hadn’t thought the plans went past her riding with him. At the time, she’d still half assumed that Zan would hook up with Jessica Riley.

But seeing how disappointed he seemed at the thought of not going to the party with her made her realize he had intended for them to go to the party as a couple. If that was the case, and she’d agreed to go with him… What would Max think when she showed up at the party as Zan’s date?

He saw the confusion cloud her face as she looked at him for a long moment, but when she dropped her gaze, and began biting her lip again, he thought this was it. He'd lost her. He closed his eyes and prepared himself for her to end everything he’d hoped for with her next words.

Liz sighed and answered, “Yeah, I remember.”

Zan’s eyes shot open in surprise. He had to catch himself, and control his urge to grin like an idiot. ‘Stay cool, Zan.’ He nodded, and tried to school his expression to not look so surprised, and act as if he’d expected her to say that all along.

“Cool. So, we straight then?” he asked, and tilted his head down a little trying to see what she was thinking, when she wouldn’t look up at him.

After thinking back on the conversation they’d had earlier and about how Zan had been acting toward her the past few days, Liz realized that maybe Zan had feelings for her too.

“Zan? We’re friends, right?” she asked, looking up at him wondering if last night had been just a one time thing, or if Zan really cared about her.

Zan loved being Liz’s friend, but wanted so much more than that. He reached over the fence, and touched her chin, giving her that smile that always took her breath away. His eyes said more than his words could.

“Liz, your my girl. You always will be.”

The butterflies that had previously been located in her stomach spread all over. She felt her face flush and she bit her lip to keep from smiling to hard.

“So, you ok with meeting me outside the gym after the game, then?” he asked, bringing her out of the haze he had a way of creating in her mind.

Her excited jitters at realizing that Zan seemed to be trying to take their relationship beyond friendship only lasted a moment before the reality of her situation hit her. She’d just agreed to go on a date with Zan, Max’s twin brother after they'd kissed and all but declared they were dating.

The thought of having to explain all this to Max sobered her of even Zan’s butterflies. Max said he wanted to prove to her she could trust him, but with the way she was feeling right now, she was the one who couldn’t be trusted. Because, even as guilty as she felt, she was elated that Zan seemed to really want more than friendship with her.

Liz looked up at Zan and knew that she wanted to be more than friend with him… just like she did with Max. What kind of person did that make her?

Going with Zan tonight might be the only chance they got to be together as anything other than friends. She and Max weren’t officially a couple, but she would understand if he got mad at what she was doing.

She hated that everything was turning out this way. She knew she couldn’t have both, but right now she didn’t have to choose… she didn’t want to choose.

Liz took a deep breath, steeling herself for the consequences of her decision, or rather her lack of one. She looked into his unbelievably beautiful golden brown eyes and answered his loaded question.

“Yeah, I’ll meet you after I finish changing.”

Guilt eating at her, she smiled, and felt the familiar fluttering, and excitement that always came when he smiled in return.

Zan could see how hard she was struggling with herself over whether or not to go out with him. It was tearing him up to see her so obviously torn about the decision. But, he was glad she’d said yes.

“Good. Take your time, but as beautiful as you are, I can't imagine why you'd need to.”

Liz couldn’t believe how cheesy that sounded. She laughed, and rolled her eyes at him, but still blushed at the compliment.

“Hey, Chica, you ready to go? The team is coming back out for the kickoff.” Maria’s voice broke in, reminding them that there were others around. Liz looked over at her, and noticed that both Michael and Maria were walking toward them.

“Hey, Zan, the games about to start up again. You comin?” Michael asked as he made his way to the bleacher steps.

“Come on Liz, we gotta go before boobzilla freaks,” Maria said pulling Liz’s arm to get her moving.

Zan watched as Liz walked away with Maria. He sighed heavily, again thinking about how sad she'd seemed a few moments before. Maybe putting her through this wasn’t such a good idea. They were always making her upset and unhappy.

The side of his mouth turned up in a half smile when she looked back at him over her shoulder with that smile she always gave him. Yeah, it was definitely worth it, but he wanted to do something about those sad eyes.

~~~

“Lonnie, here’s your drink.” She looked up and saw Alex holding out her soda for her to take.

“Thanks, Alex.” She took it from him with an appreciative smile, then turned her attention back to her brother and Liz.

“So, what’d I miss?” Alex asked as he sat down.

Lonnie smiled to her self and rolled her eyes. “Nothing, Alex, the game hasn’t started yet.”

“Duh, I can see that. But something must have happened while I was gone, because Maria came over to the snack stand going on about some blond skank getting dropped on her ass. Tell me you saw that.” Alex was dying to get a clear explanation of what’d had happened. Trying to figure it out from Maria’s version was impossible.

“Yeah, it was hilarious. Maria dropped this girl on her ass in front of everybody. Then she was like, “Oops!” You missed it.”

“Aww man! Damn!” Alex watched as Maria and Liz rejoined the cheerleading squad. He saw that Courtney Banks had a dark brown stain on the back of her skirt that wouldn’t come out, no matter how much she and Jessica Riley tried to wipe it away. “I’d have paid money to have seen that.”

“Hey, Alex, what do ya think about Zan and Liz?” She turned her attention from her brother as he finally made his way back up to their spot on the bleachers.

“I don’t know. What do you mean,” Alex asked, totally bewildered by her question.

“Come on Alex, think about it. Don’t you think the two of them look good together?” Lonnie asked, trying to be patient.

“Well, I guess so. I’ve never really thought about it. I always thought she would end up with Max. He seems more her type,” he answered, with a shrug.

“Nah, Zan’s her type. Haven’t you ever noticed how they look at each otha? I mean it’s so obvious, I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.” She stated more to her self than to Alex. “We gotta get them together. You wit me?”

Alex groaned and closed his eyes. He knew he should just say no and run, but with one look at Lonnie’s wicked smile, he knew he was whipped. How could he say no.

I like the way things are going with Max and Liz.At least the "earth" is moving for Liz.Maria thinks Max is better for her, and that Zan is not her type.Max finally got that good luck kiss.So much going on.......Pam Troy interrupting, Zan asking Lonnie about her "drummer boy"It now seems Lonnie wants Liz and Zan to be together.This is getting complicated!Carolyn

Hello I'm back with another Part 11. Thank you all for reading this and I always appreciate your feedback. I hope everyone is enjoying Liz's dilemma

~ ~ ~ ~ ~Part 11~ ~ ~ ~ ~

‘Why the hell does it take this girl so damn long to get dressed?!’

Zan was sitting outside the gym near the girl's locker room, waiting for Liz to change so they could go, but she was taking fricken forever He was trying to chill and be patient, but he’d been waiting at least twenty minutes for the girl to make an appearance.

He let his dark sunglasses ride low so he could see better as he glanced around the now empty campus with a sigh, shaking off the thought to just go in there and get her. He leaned back against Betty, his black Ninja 650 motorcycle, and unzipped his leather jacket, crossing his legs at the ankles trying to relax. He had a feeling it was going to take a while.

The sound of footsteps and voices drew his attention, but he was sorely disappointed when Pam Troy and Jessica Riley walked through the door instead of Liz. He let out a deep sigh in disappointment, then frowned when both girls stopped in their tracks at the sight of him. They looked at each other and grinned, and he rolled his eyes.

Pam winked at Jessie, then tossed her thick blond mane of hair to make it cascade around her shoulders. She looked at Zan and flashed him a dazzling smile that told him exactly what she had on her mind.

Jessica smirked at Pam's display with approval, then she turned her own attention to him as well. She licked her pouty red lips, bit her bottom lip as her striking blue eyes traveled over Zan from head to toe. She held his gaze as she ended her perusal of him with an appreciative, “Mmm, Yummy!”

Zan's eye's rolled so hard his head fell back, and he groaned. He was already frustrated and didn't feel like dealing with these fake ass females. He pushed his dark glasses up to block ‘em out. The girls walked over to Zan, swaying their hips and eyeing him hungrily the entire way.

“Hi, Zan. Nice bike,” Pam said.

She ran her fingers over Betty’s grip until they wrapped fully around it, then squeezed, and it irritated him that she was touching his bike without asking. She gave him a sexy smile and ran her tongue across her teeth in a way he assumed was supposed to be enticing, but left him feeling grossed out.

“Yeah, this is a really nice bike, Zan. Can I have a ride,” Jessie asked, moving to climb on the seat behind him.

Zan’s already tried patience was growing thin. He put his hand in her face to stop her from defiling his ride. “Un uh,” was his grunted reply.

“Pleeease,” Jessie pouted, and moved even closer to him, letting her thigh brush against his. “Let me ride, and maybe later I can return the favor,” she purred.

He looked her up and down as if he was assessing her goods. “Nah,” Zan said, disinterested and turned back to the door, still waiting for Liz. He wished she’d hurry her ass up.

“Come on, Zan. Don’t you wanna play,” Pam tempted, running her finger down his chest and loving the feel of his hard muscles underneath his shirt.

Zan looked down at the hand touching him. He pushed her manicured fingers away from him.

"Don't touch me."

Pam and Jessie’s pride was getting bruised by his obvious lack of interest.

“What’s the matter, Zan? Can’t handle both of us?” Pam challenged, giving him a haughty once over.

“Yeah Zan, are we too much for you?” Jessie piped in, copping an attitude.

Zan chuckled, and finally gave them his attention, making a play of looking at them really good for the first time. His eyes narrowed and he let her know he recognized Pam was Max's ex.

“Wait a minute. Wadn’t you fuckin my brotha last month?” He watched in amusement as she groped for something to say.

“Um… well, he seems to have a taste for brunettes lately…” Regaining some of her confidence, she tried adding a little flattery. “While I was hoping to try someone a little spicier,” she said, lifting her eyebrow and smiling in invitation.

“What?!” Ain’t that some shit?! His stomach turned at the idea of it, and he'd had all he could take of both of them throwing their trash his way. “Shew!" he said, flicking them away like a bad puppy.

They stood there stunned, mouths gaping like fish. Had he just said what they thought he said? When they didn't move away from him and his bike when he told them to, he made it clear. "Step da fuck off!"

The girls moved away, still looking like they couldn't believe what they'd just heard, but before either could think of anything to say in retort, Zan was no longer paying any attention to them.

Liz finally walked through the locker room door. He was relieved, and smiled to himself thinking the wait had definitely been worth it.

She’d let her hair down, which he absolutely loved, and she was wearing a tight pair of jeans that had holes strategically placed so flashes of her legs showed as she walked. And she had on this tight long-sleeved white shirt, but it looked like someone had taken a knife and sliced it across her chest. The creamy swell of her breasts, and the edges of her black and day-glo yellow bra underneath were exposed. Her shirt was short enough that her navel showed and her jeans were so low-cut they barely covered her hips. Liz looked hot.

She smiled at him when he stood, and pulled his sunglasses down to get a better look at her, and licked his lips before giving her a lazy half smile.

Liz had come out of the locker room a few minutes before and heard those bitches trying to seduce Zan into taking off with them. She’d stood behind the door and listened, wondering what he'd do. Usually when he flirted with her she just blew it off, but half the time lately she wasn't sure if he was playing around or not. Was he serious about going on a date with her, or would he ditch her and take them up on a chance to be with two girls at once? Hearing how badly he'd he’d blown them off gave her way too much satisfaction.

She felt guilty for testing him. After all, she didn't have any claim on Zan. But it made her feel good to know he wasn't interested in Jessica, or anyone else, as far as she knew. It was selfish, but... so what.

So, Maria was right; she was jealous. The idea that Zan would hook up with some one else made her act crazy. She chose not to think too hard about the fact that she herself was doing that very thing to him.

It amused her to see Pam and Jessie so pissed because Zan had dissed them, but they never got a chance to do anything about it, because he'd gotten up and was walking toward her, totally dismissing them.

Zan didn't even try to hide the fact that he was checking her out. His eyes traveled over her body before settling on her exposed chest. He stopped in front of her, finally looking into her eyes with a completely immodest leer.

Her face flushed with heat from his obvious scrutiny, and she bit the side of her lip, looking up at him through her dark lashes. He loved that. His mouth turned up in his trade mark half smile.

“Yeah,” Liz nodded, and took Zan’s outstretched hand as he walked her back over to his bike.

Liz could feel the heated stares from Jessie and Pam boring into her as she settled in behind Zan. She decided to really give them something to stare at.

“Zan?”

“’Sup?” He turned to look at her over his shoulder. She leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek leaving a lip gloss impression of her lips behind.

“Thanks,” she whispered. At his curious expression, she gave a discreet nod toward the two sluttish Bimbettes glaring evilly in their direction.

Understanding filled his eyes, and he glared at her playfully, before a conspiratorial half grin appeared. “Any time, Baby Girl, but for takin so long, you owe me,” he notified her before putting the key in the ignition.

“Oh, really,” she said, as he started Betty up, and revved the engine. “And just what is it that you want in payment for waiting so patiently,” she asked, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Zan smiled, and said, “I’ll think of somethin,” as he steered them toward the parking lot.

While they pulled off, Liz glanced at Pam and Jessica. Hatred emanated from every inch of their bleached blond heads to their pink painted toenails. Satisfied, a triumphant smile lit her face.

~~~West Roswell High Parking Lot

“Man, I can’t believe your still standing after that hit you took, Max,” Alex said amazed. He, Max, Michael, and Kyle stood by the Mustang waiting for Zan and Liz to show up. All of them were slightly in awe that Max wasn’t walking on crutches right now instead of standing here jaw jackin like usual.

“Yeah, Maxwell. I felt that hit up in the stands. There’s no way you’re not still feeling that,” Michael agreed.

It had been the last few seconds of the game and Max was running for the end zone. He was completely open. When Kyle saw Max was just yards from the end zone, he threw a perfect bullet straight to him, but just as Max was catching the ball, two players from East absolutely demolished him. One hit him high and the other clipped him in the knees. When it happened, the whole crowd gasped. The impact could be heard all over the stadium.

To everyone’s amazement, not only did Max get up from that excruciatingly hard hit, but he had landed inside the end zone still holding the ball, making the final score Comets 20 - Novas 14.

"Guys, look who you’re talking about. You all know Max is some kind of alien with super powers. He’s got like a force field or something. How else do you explain how he never gets hurt? He’s the man!" Kyle laughed, punching Max in the arm.

“Hey, don’t let Zan hear you say that,” Max chuckled, laughing at his brother’s self-proclaimed title. He glanced around wondering how long they had been waiting for Zan and Liz to show up.

“Kyle, what time is it, man?” Kyle looked down at his watch.

“Almost ten,” he answered with a helpless shrug. Max looked toward the side of the school he knew they’d be coming from. What could be taking so long? He tried not to let his imagination get the better of him.

“Hey Maria,” he yelled out to the girls sitting in his jeep. “What was Liz doing when you left?”

Maria turned from the conversation she and Lonnie were having with an exasperated sigh.

“She was drying her hair,” she answered giving him a pointed look, before turning back to Lonnie with a roll of her eyes.

“God, can’t guys understand that it takes forever for someone with long hair to get ready. Geez, they just expect a girl to throw on any ‘ol thing and walk out the door. And do they appreciate the effort we put in trying to look good? No! They just compl-”

Lonnie saw this tirade wasn’t likely to end any time soon, so she interrupted Maria’s rant before it went any further. “Maria! Finish tellin me what happened.”

“Oh, yeah… so we were standing there watching Max acting all bashful with Lizzie… Lonnie you should have seen them, they were so cute,” she gushed for a moment getting side tracked again.

“Anyway, so they were like drifting closer and closer together the whole time, I just knew they were gonna kiss.” She stopped to think for a moment and frowned.

“For some reason, I don’t remember much of what they did after that… at least not until Liz came and rescued me from another public humiliation.” Maria actually blushed when she said this last bit, but still had a naughty grin.

Lonnie didn’t need details to know what she meant. Maria and Mikey’s exploits were well known to her, unfortunately. She rolled her eyes and tried to put everything Maria had told her into more understandable terms.

“So, what you’re sayin is, Liz’s got a secret that had her all happy and singin, and then a little later you saw her and Max about to kiss?” she asked trying to figure out if this new situation would make her covert matchmaking operation a little more difficult.

Maria watched Lonnie thinking about it all, and since Michael was still resistant to her sticking her nose in, she decided to recruit Lonnie.

“So, are we going to get those two love birds together or what? I know all Liz needs is a little coaxing and she’ll see that she’s as crazy about Max as he obviously is about her.”

“Lonnie, come on!” She had to be playing with her. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No.” At Maria’s incredulous look Lonnie started to get slightly defensive. “Why would I kid about that?”

“Well, no offense or anything, but Zan and Liz just don’t look like they’d make a good couple. I mean, he’s so rough around the edges and Liz is so… not.” Her hands swirled around in front of her as she tried to find the words to say what she meant.

“They’re good as friends and everything, but Max and Liz, they just fit. The way Max gets all sweet around Liz is really cute. He’s usually all jock like, but when Liz is around he’s like Mr. Softy. I just think they would be perfect together.” Maria finally just shrugged hoping that she didn’t hurt Lonnie’s feelings.

Lonnie figured Maria’s objection to Zan getting with Liz had more to do with him being a punk than anything else.

“Maria, Zan and Liz are almost as good friends with each other as she is with us. And her hangin out with him is good for him.” When Maria frowned in confusion Lonnie elaborated.

“Haven’t you ever noticed how standoffish Zan is sometimes. He messes around with us and all, but he don’t really like it here. He says the people are too intolerant. He misses New York. When he’s with Liz though, he don’t act like that. He acts normal, like he used too. I can see it in his face when he looks at her, he really likes her. They need to hook up.”

The sound of a motorcycle engine came roaring through the parking lot as Zan finally drove up with Liz. Everyone turned from their conversations and watched as the black motorcycle with its two passengers pulled to a stop near the vehicles.

“We goin or what!?” Zan shouted to no one in particular, as if he’d been the one waiting for them the whole time.

“No, we’ve just been sitting here all this time for the hell of it,” Kyle snapped.

Max’s jaw tightened when he saw how close Liz sat to Zan, and as hot as she looked, there was way too much contact for his comfort. Her hair cascaded freely down her back and her shirt left her waist bare, exposing her curves. The jeans she wore hugged her hips, and where they had ridden down, he could see the day-glo colored panties she was wearing peeking out.

She looked sexy as hell sitting on the bike, but she was wrapped around Zan. His hips sat between her thighs and her chest pressed into his back as she wrapped her arms around his waist to hold on. Definitely, too much contact.

Liz watched anxiously as Max just stared at them. What was he thinking? Would he be mad at her for still riding with Zan after their kiss? How was she going to tell him she was actually on a date with Zan?

God, how did she get into this mess? It was driving her crazy just sitting there worrying about it. She tapped Zan on the shoulder.

“Hey, I’m going to go talk to Maria and Lonnie for a sec. I’ll be right back.” She hopped off the bike and jogged over to the Jeep.

“Lizzie, I told you those jeans would rock. Girl, you look so hot,” Maria raved.

“Yeah, and that top is definitely working for ya,” Lonnie smirked.

“Thanks.” Liz preened enjoying the complements. “Hey guys, remember the situation with Max and Zan?” At the girls’ nods, she let out a big sigh. “Well it’s gotten a lot more complicated.”

“Uh oh, what happened now?” Maria knew Liz had been holding out on her, but what could have happened that was so bad?

Liz rolled her eyes at her two nosy friends, who knew just enough about what was going on to be irritating.

“Look guys, I need your help, and I don’t have a lot of time.” She glanced over her shoulder and saw Max and Michael walking over to the Jeep, and Zan sitting there waiting so they could go.

“Oh, never mind. It’s too late now. Here they come,” she sighed.

Maria tried to soothe her friend’s worried expression. “Babe, we’ll talk about it when we get there, k?”

“Yeah, but now is when I need to talk to Max,” Liz said through gritted teeth and slightly nodding towards him as he walked up. Both girls’ eyebrows shot up surprised, they got the hint.

Maria hit Lonnie on the arm. When she got the other girl’s attention, she pointed up at the nonexistent roof of the Jeep and raised her eyebrow in question. Lonnie nodded in agreement just before Michael hopped in the back seat with Maria. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick kiss.

“Hey, babe.”

Max walked up to Liz and smiled. “Hey, you look really nice.” He tried not to let his eyes stray to the slit in her shirt, but it was hard not to.

Liz blushed when his eyes drifted away from hers. She smirked thinking, ‘Geez, not Max too.’

“Thanks,” she answered, resisting the urge to cover her chest. “So, how are you feeling after that hit. It looked really painful.” Max shook his head dismissing her worries.

“I’m fine. It wasn’t that bad. Besides I couldn’t let a little hit like that keep me from dancing with you all night, could I?” Liz smiled at his flirting, then glanced over at Zan.

“Max, um… I need-”

“Hey Maxie, would you put the top up before we go. I don’t want my doo gettin messed up,” Lonnie interrupted, patting her perfectly styled hair.

“Yeah, Max, please. After all the work that went into getting me looking this good, I don’t want it getting blown away before anybody sees it,” Maria chimed in.

Max turned to Maria and his sister, and rolled his eyes.

“Fine.” He nodded to Michael, “Hey, help me get the roof out?”

Michael grudgingly agreed and started pulling the leather roof out of the back, the whole time grumbling about high maintenance women.

“Lizzie, would you find somewhere to put these on Max and Zan. They wearing black, so we won't be able to see 'em in the black light,” Lonnie said holding out a couple of neon colored bandannas to her.

Liz looked at Max and he smiled looking down at himself at a loss of what would look fashionable for a black light party.

Liz smiled at him and looked him over trying to find the best place to put the colorful scarf. She considered tying it around his head, but thought she like the way his unruly bangs looked just as they were and didn't want to mess with his beautiful hair.

She considered tying it around his neck like a bandit, but her eyes were drawn to the bit of his muscular chest that was revealed in the vee of his shirt. She loved the way he looked when he wore shirts like this. The long sleeved black shirt fit tight and the three buttons at the neck were left undone letting the collar fall open, exposing a glimpse of his muscular chest. She couldn't make herself cover that tantalizing view. Yeah, she had to find somewhere else to put it.

She looked at arms where his biceps stretched the sleeves as the material to conformed to the firm muscle...

“What were you saying,” Max asked, while he stood waiting for her to find the right place to put the bandanna on him.

His voice broke her out of the daze she'd fallen into. She looked up into his eyes and blinked. He'd said something. She was supposed to answer, but she couldn't think all of a sudden. “Um... What?”

Max watched as Liz looked him over. A smile spread across his face when she'd bit her lip as her eyes slowly roamed over him. He could tell she liked what she saw and it made him feel good.

“Liz? You were saying something,” he said with a knowing smile.

Liz blushed when she saw that she'd been caught checking him out. She reached out and twisted the bandanna around his arm just above his bicep.

“There, that's perfect,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear and looked up at him feeling slightly embarrassed.

She looked back at Max who was looking down at her with a resigned smile. He shrugged, “I guess I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yeah.” She smiled back at him with a sigh, and lingered a moment longer before walking back over to the bike.

Max watched as she walked away letting his eyes wander to the sway of her hips as he admired the curve of her waist and the fit of her jeans. ‘Damn!’ He turned back to the Jeep and found Maria and Lonnie both giving him knowing smirks.

“What?” Max shrugged innocently.

“See what I mean, Lonnie,” Maria said, settling back in her seat satisfied.

“Hmpf,” was Lonnie’s only reply.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zan had watched Liz talking to Max, and could feel the sparks between them all the way over here. Obviously Max was handling his end of things better than Zan had expected. If he wasn’t careful he could see himself losing Liz all together.

‘Betta start handlin ya shit, Zany boy.’

“Woman, are you gon talk all night or are we goin to a party?” he asked when Liz made it back to the bike.

Zan really got Pam and Jessie's attention.......only to later dismiss them.It appears that Zan passed Liz's test.Then there is Max the football hero, that Liz has already kissed.........I don't know who to bet on to win this race.Zan is not patient........but he does care for Liz over all others.Thanks,Carolyn

I am so excited that you decided to update this story !!!! I'm literally bouncing in my seat! I love the story. I love Max/Liz/Zan stories and to see you updating it is fantastic! You're doing a great job with the characters' personalities, and how they interact. I love that Liz has taken two sexy handsome guys as her best friends & that she can feel playful and at ease around both. I would hate to be in her shoes if she has to make a choice...and the big questions will be...who will she choose?

Hello I'm back with a couple of new parts for you guys. Thank you for the feedback guys. I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy these parts. I struggled with this conversation for soooo long. I have chapter 14 done and just need to get it to my Beta to read over, and am more than half way through chapter 15 which is so much more fun that all this angst.

Please let me know what you think of these chapters. Feeback is always appreciated.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~Chapter 12~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“G*d, this feels so good!” Liz reveled in the feel of the wind lashing through her hair, the pulsating roar of the engine, and the sheer joy she felt as they sped through the dark streets of Roswell.

If she closed her eyes it felt like they were flying. The adrenaline and excitement pushed away all fears and worry of the past few days. She'd never felt so free.

She was thoroughly enjoying this wild ride Zan was taking her on, but she knew he was holding back. Maybe he was worried about scaring her on her first ride on his bike, but the little bit of fear she felt was overwhelmed by how amazing it was to be riding a motorcycle with Zan.

Leaning closer, if that was even possible, Liz spoke directly into his ear.

"Faster!” Smiling mischievously, she rested her chin on his shoulder, and waited to see if he’d do it.

A wicked smile appeared on Zan’s face when he heard her. He couldn't believe she was diggin’ this. Who would have thought that sweet little Liz Parker was a speed freak?

He smiled at her over his shoulder and yelled, “Hold on,” and with a flick of his wrist, they were closing the distance between them and the other cars.

Liz tightened her hold around Zan's waist, flashing her friends a naughty smile as they sped past the Jeep. She stuck her tongue out at Kyle and Alex, waving bye bye, as the Mustang fell behind. Laughing wildly, she enjoyed all their shouting and shocked faces.

Now there was nothing in front of them but the open road.

Liz rested her chin on Zan's shoulder and let herself take it all in. The open desert blurred by undefined, like paint smeared on canvas. She closed her eyes and pressed her face into the wind, allowing it to momentarily steal her breath. It lashed violently through her hair, whipping at her clothes. The power of the engine pulsed and surged between her legs, every cell in her body hummed with the power of it. All of it was heaven.

She became aware of Zan's warmth seeping into her wind-chilled body everywhere they touched. The roar of the engine and wind faded away as she noticed the searing heat between her thighs where they encased his lean hips, and her breasts tingled where her chest was pressed against his solid leather clad back. She noticed how her palms became moist where his firm abs brushed her fingertips with each of his breaths.

Maybe it was the wind chilling her skin, or maybe it was the adrenaline and excitement of the moment that made her feel bold, but Liz slid her hands under the edge of his leather jacket and dared to lay them against his abdomen and chest. She smiled at his quick intake of breath. It was only a small reaction, but she loved that she’d caused it, and began slowly dragging her nails across the taught muscles.

Turning her face into the worn material of his jacket, Liz breathed in the smell of the soft leather mixed with Zan’s scent. He smelled of warmth and cologne, and a scent that was uniquely Zan, absolutely delicious.

Wrapping her arms around him tighter, she buried her face in his neck and hugged him closer, letting her hands rest lightly over his chest. She tried to memorize how he felt. This might be the only time she’d ever get to do this, be free to hold him and be this close.

Liz imagined what could be if she hadn’t kissed Max. What would it be like if Zan had kissed her first? Her mind filled with images of the two of them locked in a passionate embrace. She wondered if Zan would have stopped when things got heated like Max did or would he have taken things further. Did she want him to? He had a way of making her push her boundaries.

That thought sent a shiver through her. The thrill didn't last long, because she’d knew she'd never find out. She had to tell him about her and Max.

Zan was trying to concentrate on driving and not let Liz's torturous caresses get them killed. He unconsciously slowed down when the buzz he had from flying through the desert with Liz was eclipsed by the feel of her hands on him. He’d gotten so distracted he barely noticed when the other cars caught up, or any of his friends’ taunting as they passed.

Did the girl know what she was doing to him? She was making it hella hard for him not to stop right now and show her exactly what she was doing to him.

Feeling her tight little body all around him and her nails scraping over his chest had his eyes almost rolling to the back of his head. Her hands on him were about to drive him out his mind. When she hugged him even closer, he had to hold back a curse. All of a sudden, his seat wasn’t so comfortable anymore.

He could feel her breasts pressing into his back, and her fingers were tracing the piercing he'd gotten in his nipple on a dare from Lonnie. Little shocks of pleasure shot through the hardened peak and he didn't think she even realized she was doing it. Liz was gonna freakin kill him!

He felt her shiver and wondered if she was snuggling so close because she was trying to stay warm. He grabbed her wandering hand and threaded his fingers through hers. He told himself it was to see if she was cold, not to keep her fingers from wreaking more havoc on his already overstimulated body.

“Liz, you cold?” He yelled over his shoulder. He felt her nod and looked around for a good place to pull over. Zan was glad to stop, he needed to get off the bike for a minute anyway. He slowed down and pulled off the road and cut the engine.

“Zan, why'd we stop,” Liz asked, her voice sounding too loud in such a peaceful place.

Liz sat back and looked around, rubbing her hands over her arms, trying to warm them a little. She looked around in the darkness, feeling the weight of the silence now that the constant noise of the engine was gone.

It was beautiful out here. The sky was clear and light from the stars and the full moon shone down casting everything in their silvery light. In the distance, the hills and mountains were silhouettes against the dark horizon. She was awed by the desert’s night time beauty. Getting to experience it with Zan made it all the more amazing.

“You’re cold. I felt you shiverin',” he said getting off the bike. He pulled off his jacket and helped pull the warm leather over her shoulders. Liz slipped her arms into the sleeves, smiling gratefully at his sweetness.

“Thank you, Zan.” The jacket was still warm from his body heat. She sniffed the collar, loving being surrounded by his scent.

Zan thought she looked cute swallowed up in his jacket. The sleeves were too long, so she pushed them up to work on the zipper. He noticed her hair was trapped inside the collar. He liked seeing it flowing loose down her back, so he slid his hands into the thick curtain and pulled it free. He was stunned when Liz's eyes slid closed in a look of exquisite pleasure and her lips parted as a small moan escaped her lips. For a moment he couldn't breathe.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Max pulled in the first empty spot he found in the over-full parking lot. Cars were parked haphazardly in every direction. It was nothing but an unorganized mess. He was glad they had to park so far away, ‘Now no one will scratch my beautiful baby,’ he thought, giving Bob’s dashboard a comforting pat. ‘Bob…’ He frowned thinking his Jeep just didn’t feel like a ‘Bob’. It was more like a Porscia or Priscilla, Bertha even… but Bob? Where’d Lonnie come up with that?

Lonnie watched Max pet his Jeep and shook her head at her brother. “Max, would you quit pettin' this damn thing. It’s just a car, it doesn’t love you back,” she admonished with a smirk. Max’s eyes got wide with mock shock as he gasped at her words.

“Don't you listen to her, baby. I know you wuv me,” he said babying his precious Jeep.

Maria stuck her head between the seats in front of her, ignoring their banter. “Max, you should’ve turned back. They might have needed help,” she worried.

“Maria, Zan has his cell phone,” he said patiently. “If he needed help he would have called us.” Max's gaze drifted to the road, his eyes searching in the dark for any sign of Zan and Liz. It was bothering him too that they were out in the desert all by themselves, albeit for different reasons. He looked over to Lonnie for support.

Lonnie sighed exasperatedly and looked skyward as if she were pleading for help from above. “Yes, for the millionth time, Maria! Zan can take care of hisself, and besides, if anything was really wrong Liz woulda called by now too. Don’t stress. He probably just stopped to look at a wild dingleberry or somethin'. They’ll show up.”

Michael pulled Maria back on his lap. He kissed her forehead and tried to sooth her worries. “Don’t worry, babe. She’s all right. Zan’s with her. You know he’ll take care of her.”

Max's phone dinged notifying him of a text. Zan and Liz were on their way, and Zan said it was time to talk to her... He was going to stay and talk to them, but he needed to get everyone out of the way.

“Why don't you guys go on in, and I'll wait for them out here for a couple of minutes. I'll text Zan to see if they need help. If they don't show up I'll go get them. How does that sound?” Max said.

“You'd do that, Max?” Maria asked hopefully. That eased her mind a lot. She just couldn't stand the possibility of Liz being stranded out in the desert while she was laughing it up at some stupid party. What if they couldn't get a phone signal way out here? She was about to bring up this point when a thought occurred to her. “Hey Lonnie, what the hell is a dingleberry?”

Lonnie just rolled her eyes and sighed. “Never mind. Max, you got it covered?” When he nodded she turned to Maria in the backseat, “Les' jus go, already. Zan and Liz are fine, and I wanna get my groove on.” And with that, she threw open her door and hopped out.

She stood there waiting expectantly when she realized they were all staring at her as if she did not just say that. “Well?”

As commanded Michael and Maria piled out of the Jeep. They all made their way over to the Mustang to get Alex and Kyle before joining the loud party that was already well under way. Thoughts of Zan and Liz momentarily forgotten as the music and atmosphere overwhelmed their senses.

Max pulled out his cellphone and sent a message to Zan.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Liz had been trying hard to control the butterflies she always felt whenever Zan was near, but when he ran his hands through her hair, she was undone. It became hard to breathe as every inch of her body tingled. When she opened her eyes, she was captured by Zan's intense golden gaze.

Zan only had so much self-control, and Liz’s perfect lips, parted and breathless, were begging to be kissed. When she opened her heavy-lidded eyes, he could see desire burning there. He couldn’t not kiss her right now. His rough hands pulled her to him, and he took possession of her soft moist lips.

The years of pent up frustration from having to keep his distance from Liz began melting away the moment he felt her warm lips against his responding to his kiss. Her sweet breath fluttering over his skin, her hands clutching his shirt, her soft lips pressed against his... It was more than he ever dreamed he could have, better than he imagined.

And as amazing as her sweet kiss was he still wanted more of her. He could feel that she was afraid. She was hesitant and holding herself back from him. He longed for her to want him and not be afraid of it. His lips nibbled and caressed hers, coaxing her to open up and let him in.

Liz was overwhelmed by everything that Zan was doing to her. His smoldering kiss had her spiraling. His fingers tangled in her hair and he bit at her lips, hinting that he wanted inside. Opening at his unspoken demand, her hands grasped at his sides as he deepened their kiss. She couldn’t help the quiet moan that escaped, as his velvety tongue slipped between her warm lips.

He teased and caressed as he explored her mouth. The pleasure from his questing tongue had her feeling weak. With just one kiss Liz felt like she’d melt right on the spot. She was relieved to be sitting on his bike, her knees would be useless.

This is what he’d always wanted, to feel Liz respond to him like this. To know that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Feeling her clinging to him and hearing the quiet sounds she made as he made love to her mouth gave him immense satisfaction.

Zan couldn't believe he was the one making her feel this way. That the little sounds of pleasure she made were for him. That she was pulling him closer and kissing him back, her passion matching his own.

Liz had always been the unattainable girl he'd always wanted. Feeling her responding to him this way, wanting him, finally made it all real. Liz Parker was finally gonna be his.

Liz felt one of his hands slip from her hair and pull open the zipper to his jacket. She was vaguely aware of the cool night air on her skin. She felt his fingers caressing the soft skin of her waist as he moved closer. His lips left hers and he started kissing his way down her neck, the sensation sending tingles over her skin. God it felt so good... but it was all too much.

She opened her eyes and pulled back. She bit her lip and looked at him unsure. They were sitting on the side of the road, out in the open, making out for all the world to see. Things were just moving way to fast.

He felt her pull away, and it took more will power than he thought he had to tear his lips away from her soft skin. But when he looked in her eyes, he could tell that Liz wasn’t ready for this; he shouldn’t have pushed her when he could tell she wasn't sure. But once he’d had a little taste of her, he’d wanted more.

He leaned in and kissed her lips lightly one more time and rested his forehead against hers.

“Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to do that?” Zan asked breathing raggedly. He ran his fingers through her hair as he looked intently into her eyes. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are, Liz? How much I want you?”

Liz knew it wasn’t fair, but G*d, she wanted this. She wanted Zan, and not just as a friend, or even as something in between. She wanted him the way she’d wanted Max. And as horrible as it may sound, she wouldn’t take back a moment of what just happened.

She knew the desire she saw burning in his eyes reflected her own, but she felt ashamed after hearing his tender words. She didn’t feel beautiful at all. She felt like a liar, a cheat, and a whole lot of other ugly things.

She had to tell him. She didn’t know what would happen, but she wasn’t going to lie, to either of them.

“Zan...” she paused and looked into his eyes before just rushing it out afraid she'd lose her nerve. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that.” Her throat tightened as she forced herself to say the words she didn't want to say. “I kissed Max, and I'm really sorry I didn't tell you. Things just got so-” He stopped her confession, by cupping her cheek and brushing his thumb over his lips.

She'd kissed Max. He couldn't decide if he was happy because things were going how they'd hoped, or if he was disappointed because Liz was thinking about his brother after he'd just kissed her. “Liz, we…” He started but stopped himself from blurting everything out before he and Max had a chance to talk to her properly.

He wanted so badly to stop her from feeling bad about being torn between him and Max. Maybe if she knew the truth it would take the sadness and shame out of her eyes. He hated seeing her hurting in any way, and it was tearing him up inside that he was the cause of her confusion and the obvious guilt she was feeling. But he couldn't do anything about it until he and Max told her what they hoped to do.

“We don't have to talk about it right now.” A confused frown darkened her face. He could tell that she wanted to say more, but she held it in. “I promise, we'll talk about this soon. Ok? All of us. But for now, we should get goin. Everybody's probably wondering what happened to us.”

Zan pulled out his cell phone and saw a message from Max asking if everything was ok? He responded, 'We need to talk to Liz A.S.A.P. Wait for us. We'll be there soon.' He and Max were just going to have to bite the bullet, and hope she felt strong enough for them to give them a chance.

Liz didn’t know what to think. He hadn't reacted the way she expected. Did Zan care about what happened between her and Max? If he did why wasn't he yelling at her? Why wasn't he angry? Why was he still looking at her as if he wanted another breathtaking kiss?

She was more confused now that she’d ever been. She wanted to find out what was going on in his head, but he’d said they’d all talk about it soon. That was something she wasn't really looking forward too. What were they going to say when they found out what she'd done?

She remembered her kiss with Max this afternoon, how wonderful he’d made her feel. The thought of never getting to be with him again, of never seeing him smile at her and tuck her hair behind her ear, of never getting to laugh with him while they watched Mystery Science Theater together on Saturdays, of never catching him watching her while she worked at the Crashdown and he was supposed to be studying… it broke her heart.

What was she going to do?

Zan climbed back on in front of Liz and started the engine. He was ready to get going but Liz hadn’t returned her hands to his waist or any other place on him she could hold on to. He looked at her over his shoulder. She seemed reluctant to be close to him now, he could actually feel space between them on the seat that hadn’t been there before. What was up with that?

“Hey, Liz you ready?” Liz nodded and lightly held on to the loops in his pants again. It didn't feel like she really had a good grip to keep her from falling off. Zan hated that he'd made her feel so unsure all of a sudden with his cryptic interruption and cursed himself. He reached down and pulled one of her hands from its tentative handhold and placed it on his chest, just over his heart.

“Hold on tight, kay? I don't want to lose you,” he said, and waited until her other hand slipped around his waist and joined the other. “That's betta.”

He started the engine and pulled off toward the Soap Factory again, the whole time wondering what Liz would think when they told her what they’d done.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~TBC...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Chapter 13

Zan pulled up to the parking lot and looked around. The whole area was filled with cars. He shook his head and chuckled.

“What?”Liz spoke up from behind. She'd been lost in thoughts about Max and hadn't realized they'd arrived.

She knew sooner or later Max and Zan would talk. It was inevitable. What was she supposed to say when Max confronted her?

She could imagine it now; “Uh Hi Max. Um...Yeah I do have the hots for your brother, and um... yeah we were just making out on the side of the road. Oh, don't worry, I still want you too.”

She felt horrible. What kind of person did things like this? This wasn't her. She wasn't a two-timing tramp. But she was seriously starting to feel that way.

And on top of it all she was going to lose of both of them as friends.

Zan’s voice brought her out of her pity spiral.

“It's nothin'. Max said there was just supposed to be some guys from the team hangin out tonight. Lookit all these cars! It's a frickin' rave!”

A wry smile crept on his face when he thought about his brother trying to talk him out of coming tonight. “Seems lil bro was tryin to bamboozle somebody.” He couldn't be mad though, he'd have tried the same thing. “Sneaky fucker.”

He spotted Max's Jeep parked on the edge of the mass of cars. Zan sighed feeling a little nervous about what they were about to do.

Tonight was the perfect opportunity for them to have their conversation with Liz. He hesitated, feeling uncharacteristically unsure of himself all of a sudden.

What if she decided she wanted to be with Max? He squeezed her hand that was wrapped around his waist and parked.

He shut off the engine and waited for Liz to dismount. When he hopped off the bike and turned to her, she was standing awkwardly pulling on the hem of his jacket looking down at her feet.

He tilted his head down trying to see her eyes. He wondered what was going through her head to make her feel shy now.

"Hey, why you lookin' down?" When she still wouldn't look at him, he lifted her chin with his finger. He saw the worry in her eyes and wondered what was going through her head.

His thumb caressed her lip as his eyes searched hers trying to figure out what had her pulling away from him. His gaze dropped to her soft pink lips that he wanted to taste again, but he dropped his hand.

She stared into his eyes and her expression softened at his affectionate gesture.

"You ok?" he asked.

She nodded, smiling a little. Zan had drawn her into his orbit again and made her forget everything she'd been feeling just like that.

"You wanna leave the jacket in the Jeep,” he asked.

She looked at the bulky jacket she was wearing, trying to decide whether or not to give up the little protection it gave her and shook off that silly thought. The only thing the jacket could protect her from was the cold. Not even a suit of armor could stave off the confrontation that was coming. With a sigh she unzipped the warm jacket and let Zan help her out of it.

She looked back up at Zan wondering why he was being so nice to her? After all she'd just told him that she kissed his twin brother. She expected him to be pissed at her, not acting like a gentleman.

When Zan held his hand out to her expectantly, she hesitated a moment, then just made herself ask him.

“Zan why are you being so nice to me?” Her eyes searched his face trying to see what he was really thinking.

Zan’s eyebrows shot up in confusion. “Am I supposed to be mean to you?” he asked with a confused chuckle.

Liz smacked her lips at him and rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean,” she said not quite meeting his gaze.

He gave her a dazzling grin. “I promised to be a perfect gentleman tonight, and that’s what I’m gonna do.” He tilted his head to the side and quirked an eyebrow at her as if he'd just thought of something. “But, I can be naughty for ya, if ya want,” he said.

Liz gulped at the heat and mischief she saw in his eyes as he took a step closer, crowding her personal space even more than before. Her eyes got wide as he leaned in as if he would kiss her again.

His lips hovered above hers descending agonizingly slow. Just as she thought those sensuous lips would reach their target, he stopped.

“Nah, I think I’ll be good instead. A promise is a promise and all,” he said just a breath away. He straightened and took a step back, leaving Liz dazed, blinking as she regained her senses.

She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and shook her head. The cocky grin that sat on Zan's dangerous lips told her he'd been teasing her.

Her eyes narrowed, and she couldn't help laughing at how easily she'd fallen into his trap. 'Oh, he's gonna get it.'

Zan broke into a courtly bow and held out his hand to her. “Ma lady?” He gave her his best snooty English accent.

Liz smiled and shook her head at herself and his silliness. He always knew how to make her feel better, no matter how bad she was feeling. She entwined her fingers with his and let him lead her, but after a few steps gave him a mean punch in the arm for his trouble.

“Ow!” he laughed, glaring at her as he rubbed his bruised arm.

“Serves you right,” she said smiling.

“Hey, Liz?” he asked, a little nervous about the bomb he was about to drop on her.

“Remember how I said we would talk about everythin' later?” he said leading her through the parked cars toward the Jeep. He felt her immediately tense and look at him, her face blank but he went on as if she'd answered.

“Well, Max is waitin' for us at the Jeep right now, and if you ok with it, we both wanna to talk to you about somethin'.”

Liz looked toward the Jeep and saw Max step out and lean against the door, waiting for them.

She wasn't ready for this. Not yet! Every time she imagined how the conversation about her kissing both of them would go her stomach turned. She was hoping to put it off until like... never!

She pulled on his arm to make him stop.

“Right now, Zan?!”

He saw how scared she looked and understood she was afraid of how Max was going to react when he found out about them. He wanted to reassure her she didn't have anything to worry about. If she could just give them 5 minutes they could clear everything up and life would be copacetic. At least if things went the way he hoped.

“Yeah. I mean, we're all together, so I thought it'd be a good time to... talk.” He tucked her hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek.

“Hey, don't worry. We won't bite. We just want to tell you somethin'.” He smiled trying to get her to relax, but it wasn't really working this time.

“Come on.” He took her hand and led her past the last few cars to where Max was waiting for them.

With each step Liz felt like she was walking to her execution, and now she had to deal with the consequences. She couldn't stop the hot tears that were building behind her eyes.

When she and Zan reached the Jeep, Max was leaning against the door waiting for them. She looked about as uncomfortable as he did. When he noticed their hands, she pulled her fingers from Zan's and wrapped her arms around herself. She glanced into his eyes for a moment but looked away, unable to hold his gaze.

"Hi Max," she said.

"Hi," he said, giving her a small smile. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted from one foot to the other.

He glanced at her but couldn't hold her gaze either. He had seen her with Zan just now and could tell how into each other they were. It'd felt like he'd swallowed acid when he saw them about to kiss. He was confused and, unexpectedly, hurt.

He could have sworn Liz had felt that way about him earlier when they'd been together. And she'd all but staked her claim on him in front of Pam before the game... Max sighed and tried to stamp down his feelings. He reminded himself they were intentionally putting her in a position where she would either choose one of them, or she wouldn’t be able to choose between them. That was “The Plan” after all. He shook his head, they must have been whacked in the head to think this was a good idea.

Zan could feel the tension between Max and Liz. He looked between them and was troubled by how miserable they both seemed. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He'd hoped all three of them being together would make them all happy, but he knew until all their secrets were laid out they would keep hurting each other.

Zan put his jacket in the backseat of the Jeep and turned to Max.

"Sup, bra? You aight?"

Max stood up a little straighter and shut out his confused thoughts. He shook his head. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Zan knew Max wasn't telling the truth, but they couldn't get into it right now. He let it go until another time.

"You ready for this?"

Max sighed, wondering why the hell they'd thought this would be easy? Between being afraid of losing Liz all together and feeling like everything inside him was being twisted in knots every time he saw her with Zan, this whole situation was like being on a crazy emotional roller coaster.

"No," he said with a wry laugh. But he looked at Liz standing a little way away and again thought she looked so beautiful tonight, and for the thousandth time he wished she was his girl to hold hands with, to touch, and kiss...

He looked at his brother and held up his fist. "But ready or not..."

Zan smiled and pounded his brother's waiting fist. They shared a nervous look before they both turned to talk to Liz.

She'd been dreading it the whole time they were talking. And now that they'd turned their attention to her she felt cornered, exposed, vulnerable. She bit her lip to keep it from quivering, and tried to face them, but she was so ashamed it was hard.

She looked at Max and the tears she'd been fighting finally fell.

“I'm sorry... please don't hate me.”

Max couldn't take seeing her like this. He went to her and wrapped her in his arms, hugging her tight. She hugged him back, burying her face in his chest, overwhelmed and relieved all at once.

“Liz, I don't hate you.”

Max looked over at Zan feeling angry at himself over Liz's reaction. It hadn't been their intention to hurt her. They'd just wanted to tell her how they felt, and hoped she would return their feelings, but obviously they hadn't realized how hard it had been for her to deal with. Max pulled back to look into her eyes and brushed the hair away from her face. He gently wiped away her tears.

“Neither of us could ever hate you.”

Liz searched his face daring to believe him and found only affection and concern in his eyes. But she couldn't help glancing at Zan over Max's shoulder, worried about his reaction. She was so torn and had absolutely no idea what to do.

Seeing Liz so upset over hurting him instantly made all of Max's insecurities and fear melt away. Actually, he felt elated because she cared enough to show it, even in front of Zan.

“Liz, I'm not angry. I promise,” he said, caressing her cheek. When she finally met his eyes, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

Liz froze, her eyes wide as she stared at him in shock. He'd just kissed her in front of Zan. Her eyes found Zan's gaze over Max's shoulder and she could barely breathe.

Zan held her unsure gaze and moved up to stand next to them. He reached out to stroke his hand over her hair, gently running his fingers through the silky locks before looking at Max, who nodded. It was time to tell her. Zan took Liz's hand and pulled her to him.

"Liz, I'm not mad either," he said stroking her arms. He saw the confusion in her eyes and tried to explain.

"We hoped something like this would happen. We want you to care about both of us."

Zan slipped his arms around her waist and held her against his chest hoping she would let him hold her. It was easy to see that she trusted Max and turned to him for comfort. Zan wanted her to feel that way about him too. He wanted to be everything for her. The one she turned to when she was hurting, and the one that made her smile.

He knew he was getting sidetracked and tried to push aside that twinge of jealousy he felt and focus on telling her why they were all here.

“We kind of knew what was happening, because...,”

He hesitated, licking his suddenly dry lips before just saying it.

“We did it on purpose.”

Liz frowned trying to understand what he was saying. She looked at them both trying to figure out what was going on.

“I don't understand. You did what on purpose?”

Zan glanced over at Max for help, even though he looked just as uncomfortable.

“Zan and I have both been trying to get you to see that we care about you,” Max said. “We hoped that you'd start to see us in a different way.”

He searched her face to see her reaction as he spoke, so afraid she'd take their intentions wrong and everything would fall apart.

“And we hoped you'd care about us too. The way we care about you.”

Max's stomach twisted itself into a tight knot, and he could barely breathe, but it was too late to turn back now.

Confessing the truth was so much harder than he thought it'd be. Hearing himself say all this out loud made it sound like they'd been selfish jerks, manipulating her to get what they wanted, but that was so not how they meant things to be. But if she slapped them and cursed them out he knew they'd deserve it.

He was so grateful when Zan picked up where he'd left off, because Max couldn't think of anything to say to justify that they'd manipulated her, especially since they knew how hard it was for her to trust them.

“Max and I,” Zan said, hesitantly. “We were tryin' to get you to want to be with us so much that you couldn't choose between us, because...”

He glanced at Max and swallowed.

“Because, Liz, Max and I both wanna be with you.”

Liz was confused and flattered at the same time but didn't really understand.

“What?,” she asked and looked between them both watching her so intently.

When understanding dawned on her she went from feeling confused to angry, then just flat out hurt.

“You mean one of you, right?” she asked, they couldn't be saying what she thought they were saying were they?

Zan and Max glanced at each other for moment then both looked at her and shook their heads saying no.

Liz couldn't believe what she was hearing and told herself to stay open minded and listen to what they wanted to tell her. She felt so guilty over leading them both on that she tried not to jump to conclusions, but now she realized she'd been caught up in some cruel game they were playing, and she was done.

She tried to move away from Zan, but his arms tightened around her keeping her where she was. She looked up to find his normally smiling eyes distraught and darkened with worry.

“Wait! Liz, please, let us explain,” he said.

Zan's worst fear was happening; Liz was going to leave. He could tell she was pissed, and she was going to leave... he'd lose her. He needed her to understand what she meant to him. He couldn't let her go.

Max wanted so badly to hold Liz right now. He wanted to make her understand how much he didn't want to lose her, but Zan had her trapped in his arms, and he felt so helpless to do anything.

“Liz, please listen to us before you decide anything!” He turned to his brother who looked as if he was afraid to let her go. “Zan, let her go!”

Liz watched as the tension in Zan didn't so much as lessen as his arms just reluctantly released her.

She stepped away from both of them, giving herself room to think and clear away the Zan and Max induced fog from her brain. Hot angry tears burned her eyes.

“I can't believe..., What did you..., Why would you...”

She was so angry she couldn't complete one thought before something just as devastating occured to her making her even more angry. All of a sudden things they'd been doing the last couple of days took on a different perspective. She'd been blaming herself for leading them on, when in reality they'd been playing her!

She took a deep breath trying to collect her thoughts and calm down, but all she could think was, 'They knew what was happening? They “hoped” this would happen? They'd planned all this? Did they have any idea how horrible she'd felt; how much she'd agonized over having feelings for both of them? How she'd felt like a slut for wanting them both? And they did this on purpose?! What were they planning, some kind of freaky ménage a trios? Was that what they were 'hoping' for? God, she felt so stupid! She was downright embarrassed that she'd gone against her instincts and tried to trust them.

Max and Zan could see the anger building in Liz as she paced in front of them with her hands on her hips staring down at the ground trying to collect her thoughts. She wiped at her eyes and took deep breaths as if she was trying to calm down but would growl every now and again.

Everything they'd said could be twisted to sound so bad, but neither of them wanted to use her or hurt her in any way. They needed to get her to understand that. If she would just listen...

Zan looked at his brother who was at a loss. His hopes of the three of them being happy together were fading with each passing moment, and they stood there doing nothing. Zan couldn't stand it. He wasn't ready to give up.

Liz was letting her inner Maria have free reign in her head when she noticed Zan coming toward her. There was no hint of a smile on his face and she'd never seen him look at her so intense. His eyes were piercing and held her pinned. Her heart raced as he stood in front of her.

She stood her ground and faced him, her arms crossed staring him down. There was no way in hell she was going to back down just because he was a little intimidating.

“Liz, how long have you known me? Us?,” he asked, motioning to his brother leaning against the Jeep listening. His eyes never left hers.

An image of 13-year-old Max, Zan, and Lonnie walking in the Crashdown the first time they'd met came to her mind. She reluctantly smiled a little thinking about how skinny and gangly they all were.

Some of the anger she'd been stoking into a full blaze immediately started to fade, and she once again found herself somehow falling under the spell Zan always seemed to weave around her.

“Zan, what's that got to do with anything,” Liz sighed.

Zan felt it when she started to calm down and pushed a little more to get her to listen to them.

“Just tell me Liz. How long have you known us?”

She glanced at Max who held her gaze. He looked as tense as Zan.

“Since we were thirteen, when I first moved here,” she answered, glaring at Zan.

Zan held her gaze as he tried to get her to hear them out.

“Liz, in the almost 5 years you've known me... have I ever hurt you?”

Liz closed her eyes and sighed. Every ounce of her self-righteous anger died with his question. She almost felt ashamed for believing the worst and thinking they wanted to use her for their perverted sexual fantasies. She looked down and shook her head.

“No, Zan. Never.”

Zan lifted his hands to her face, making her look at him, and rested his forehead against hers.

“Then please, trust me when I tell you, 'It's not what you think'.”

All Liz could see were his golden brown eyes glittering in the moonlight, staring at her with an intensity that stole her breath. His lips were so close hers tingled in anticipation of their touch.

“We have so much more to say to you. Please, Liz, say you'll give us a chance,” he whispered, his lips brushing hers.

Liz clung to his arms as if they were an anchor keeping her from falling. Everything she'd been so angry about just seemed less important. Surely, Max and Zan wouldn't use her that way.

“Ok, Zan. I... I trust you.”

Zan smiled and closed the distance between their lips, lingering in her sweetness for only a moment.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Zan...” Liz couldn't help glancing over at Max who was watching them intently. “I'm so confused.”

“Come on.” He took her hand and led her back to Max who was patiently waiting.

Max was in awe of the energy between Zan and Liz. He watched as Liz was drawn in by Zan's overpowering presence. He'd been able to reach her when Max was sure she was shutting them out for good. Jealousy gnawed at him.

How could he ever compete against what they had? The unrealized passion he'd seen between them before was so much more intense now. He'd always tried to ignore it hoping that one day Liz might look at him that way, but now he felt like he was kidding himself.

Even though Liz still had walls up around her heart because of what that shithead Sean did to her, somehow Zan was able to reach her and break through her fears. Max felt like he was setting himself up for a major heartbreak by putting himself in comparison to Zan. Could Liz ever see him in the shadow of his bigger than life brother?

For a moment he considered leaving the two of them alone and stepping out of the picture, but when he saw how torn and confused she seemed when she glanced at him hope flared. She hadn't forgotten him even when Zan was demanding her full attention. It was difficult, but he was able to push his jealousy aside and tried to focus on what Liz must be feeling right now.

"Liz, we remember what happened to you,” Max said. “We saw everything you've gone through because of that jerk, Sean.”

He stepped a little closer wanting to touch her, but he shoved his hands back in his pockets trying to give her space, afraid of making her feel pressured or crowded.

“We'd never treat you like that. We would never hurt you that way."

Liz wrapped her arms around herself as Max and Zan's knowing eyes watched her quietly.

“I know you wouldn't, Max,” she said looking away.

She felt exposed and vulnerable that they both so clearly saw one of her deepest fears. They were right. This whole time she'd been comparing the both of them to Sean. A wave of nausea hit her when she realized she'd still been letting him affect her. And somewhere along the way she'd started closing herself off from possible romantic relationships out of fear of being hurt. But here were both Max and Zan telling her they cared about her, asking her to let them in.

She'd always thought of herself as someone more than willing to take chances, ready for whatever came her way, even a little bit fearless. When had she started being afraid to fall in love? That wasn't how she wanted to be. From this moment on she would make decisions based on what she wanted, not based on fear and regret from the past. She was done letting Sean fuck with her life.

But even though she wanted to believe Max and Zan and take them at their word that they both wanted to be with her... it was insane! Plain and simple, it was insane!

She thought about the friendship they'd shared over the years, and neither of the guys had ever mistreated her. They teased her ruthlessly, but it was all in fun. In all truth, they'd treated her special, even to the point that they'd favored hanging out with her even if they'd been dating someone else.

She realized now that they'd both always gone out of their way to be around her. They spent time talking to her, interested in what was going on in her life, and even getting involved in some of the things she was doing. But they'd always kept things platonic, so she'd never considered that they wanted to be anything more than friends.

From everything they'd just told her, and everything they'd been saying over the past few days she was starting to believe they'd both kept their feelings to themselves. It felt like she should have known, or at least had some clue. How had she missed it? Honestly, how had she missed it?

"I don't understand! You guys, this is crazy!” She grabbed hand fulls of her hair and shook her head at the insanity that she was even considering... what exactly? Dating both Max and Zan?

“What do you want me to say? I don't even know what to think!"

Max and Zan looked at each other smiling a little. She wasn't freaking out and screaming at them. They both let out a loud breath releasing the tension they'd felt ever since deciding to confess their feelings. Her question made them hopeful. She hadn't said no and was actually thinking about it.

Zan knew they sounded crazy, and if he heard some guy say something like this to his sister he'd beat the shit out of him, but they didn't know what else to do. He didn't want to have to choose between hurting his brother and breaking his own heart.

“Baby Girl, we were worried that if we told you how we felt you might choose to be with one of us, and no matter what, whoever you didn’t choose would get hurt. We figured it was better for both of us to keep our distance and try to be satisfied just bein' friends with you.”

He looked over at Max hoping he'd be able to explain better. Zan smiled when Max picked up where he left off like he'd had the same thought. Sometimes their freaky twin sense came in handy.

“But after all this time neither of us has been willing to give you up, Liz.”

Max moved closer to Liz and took her hands, threading their fingers together. He just wanted to touch her, and now that she knew how he felt he didn't want to hold back anymore. Even though he was still half afraid she would run away and leave them both.

"We couldn't think of a way to work it out for us all to be happy,” he continued. “And we were afraid." He looked at Zan for a moment and tried to find words to explain what he meant.

"Zan's my big brother, and I know how he feels about you... how much he cares, Liz. If I tried to make you mine it'd be like betraying him. Liz, I don't want to hurt him like that."

He brought their entwined fingers to his lips and placed little kisses on hers.

“But I can't stop how I feel about you. No matter how hard I've tried. We've been hopeless.”

Zan moved up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Baby Girl, it’s the same for me. I don't want to do anythin' that would hurt Max,” he said. He sighed and paused as if he was trying to find the right words.

“We were apart so long because of stupid shit that was out of our control,” Zan said. “And Max had to deal with it all alone. I'd never try to take away someone that makes him happy. And, Liz, you make him happy. You make me happy.”

Liz's heart rate sped up and the butterflies in her stomach were having a field day. How was she supposed to make rational decisions, consider the pros and cons... Hell how was she supposed to remember her own name when they were both showering her with affection at the same time? She was even starting to think what they were suggesting made perfect sense.

Zan loved that Liz was letting him hold her. She was relaxed in his arms and had leaned back resting against him. He was content to stay this way forever if he could.

"Liz, do you remember the first time we met you,” he asked her. Liz nodded, nibbling her bottom lip.

"Yeah. Lonnie and the two of you came in and sat in a booth. And my dad told me to serve you, hoping I'd make some friends my own age," she said.

Zan and Max smiled thinking they were destined to be together from the beginning.

"The both of us thought you were special the moment we laid eyes on you." Zan smirked, and that mischievous glint in his eyes returned. "Max couldn't stop talking about you the whole way home," he said, spilling his brother's secret.

Max gave him a look, and blushed. He smiled but didn't deny it.

"Yeah, it's true. I couldn't stop thinking about you,” Max said. He got a similar mischievous look on his face before divulging one of Zan's secrets.

“Zan didn't say so at the time, but I could tell he had a crush on you too. He kept making us go to the Crashdown all the time to get fries, but I knew it was because he wanted to see you," Max said.

Zan actually looked guilty and bashful for a moment, then punched Max in the shoulder, before they both laughed.

Liz was so surprised to hear all the things they were telling her. She never knew, hadn't even considered they wanted to be anything other than friends with her. With all the girls that were always chasing them she never thought they would want plain old her. And besides, she'd been so happy being friends with them, all three of the Evans tripplets that she hadn't wanted anything more.

Of course, she wasn't blind though, Max and Zan were hot to the Nth degree. But in the back of her mind she'd thought that dating one of them would change their amazing friendship, and the way all of her friends hung out together was perfect. Their friendship was something she treasured, so when those rare times an awkward moment came up between them she'd brushed it off as her imagination. Because, they were right, paring off with one of them would mean losing the other and she didn't want to lose either of them. She couldn't choose.

Now that she finally understood that they both seriously wanted to date her, Liz was so flattered. Her cheeks flushed, and she couldn't hold in the smile that spread over her lips. She felt crazy and wild even considering being with them both. How was that supposed to work anyway? She had no idea... but realized that she honestly wanted it to.

“So, to answer your question from before, you know, about what to say,” Max said biting his bottom lip. He gently tugged her away from Zan and into his arms. Nuzzling the soft spot just behind her ear, he whispered, “You could say, you want to be with us.”

He placed nibbling kisses down her neck and pulled away to look into her eyes.

Liz giggled and halfheartedly tried to escape his tickling kisses. She blushed and couldn't look at him, but the smile on her face was too big to hide. Zan chuckled behind her and she turned to look at him over her shoulder.

He had his arms crossed and was watching her melt under Max's charms. The smirk on his lips was devastating. The totally sure of himself knucklehead she was used too was back, but when he pulled her away from Max and wrapped his strong arms around her, that was a big difference. He lifted her chin with the side of his finger to make her look at him.

“So, what do you say Liz?” he asked as he leaned in, his lips hovering just above hers. Liz unconsciously licked her lips drawing his eyes to them. He melted their lips together, stealing her breath with his kiss.

When he finally let her come up for air he asked, “Are you gonna be our girl?”